Rosie Looks to Rise in Rankings

Roseanne Hodge works the white-water at the Rip Curl Girls Festival in Spain, for a tour-best finish in the lead-up to the ASP Women’s World Tour NAB Beachley Classic, in Australia. Picture ASP Cestari © Covered Images

The ASP Women’s World Tour NAB Beachley Classic gets underway in Australia on Tuesday, and South Africa is represented by East-London’s ASP rookie Roseanne Hodge, who joins eighteen surfers from as far a field as Hawaii, New Zealand and the USA.

The NAB Beachley Classic is the richest stop on the ASP Women’s World Tour offering US$100,000 in prize money, as well as a 20% increase in ASP ratings points.

Currently joint twelfth in the ASP Women’s World Tour ratings half-way through the season, Hodge could do with some extra ratings points with four events to go, as she needs to place in the top 10 for automatic selection for the 2008 season.

Hodge has enjoyed improving form in the lead-up to the Beachley Classic, with her best tour finish in September’s previous event at the Rip Curl Girls Festival in Spain, where she contested to the quarter-finals, before being dumped by Brazil’s Silvana Lima.

In Monday’s wildcard contest in which Australia’s 16-year old champ Sally Fitzgibbons emerged as winner, half- to one-meter waves were the order of the day prior to the clash between the world’s top 17 ASP Tour women.

The NAB Beachley Classic Press will feature reigning 7-times ASP World Champion Layne Beachley (Aus), defending NAB Beachley Classic champion Stephanie Gilmore (Aus), World No. 1 Samantha Cornish (Aus) and 2004 World Champion Sofia Mulanovich (Peru).

Beachley has vowed not to let history repeat itself at her own ASP Women’s World Tour event, after her defeat to wildcard surfer and current ASP World No. 4 Stephanie Gilmore at the inaugural event in 2006.

"Last year I was kicking myself for inviting Steph Gilmore, but this year I am just open to the wildcard challenge," Beachley said. "I’m loving what surfing is producing. There is so much talent coming through the ranks, and they are inspiring me to be a better surfer."

"I think one of the greatest things about being on the tour now, is being inspired by all the girls around me," Beachley explained. "It’s exciting to see and it drives me to continue competing and to put more back into women’s surfing."

Fitzgibbons emerged as the overall standout through five rounds of competition during the Oakley Wildcard trials this morning. The sixteen-year-old ASP Australasian champion disposed of Sage Erickson (USA) in the final, advancing into the main event.

"I’m super stoked," Fitzgibbons said after her win. "I just went out there to surf my own heat and get a few waves and I kept getting through heats and made it into the final."

With the top four rated surfers separated by the narrowest of margins, the bonus points on offer at the Manly event are expected to significantly impact the ratings. For a surfer such as Beachley who is rated World No. 7, this event could make or break her current standing going into the final leg in Hawaii.

The first heat in the water sees Cornish take on World No. 6 Rebecca Woods (Aus) and World No. 12 Jacqueline Silva (AUS), after which Hodge is in action against Brazilian Lima and Australian Amee Donohoe.

Oakley Wildcard Trials Final Result:
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15,15 def Sage Erickson (USA) 13,15

NAB Beachley Classic Round 1 (Tue, 9 Oct):
Heat 1: Samantha Cornish (AUS); Rebecca Woods (AUS); Jacqueline Silva (BRA)
Heat 2: Silvana Lima (BRA); Amee Donohoe (AUS); Roseanne Hodge (RSA)
Heat 3: Layne Beachley (AUS); Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS); Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
Heat 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER); Megan Abubo (HAW); Rochelle Ballard (HAW)